


A Friendship

by MirTheOne



Category: Faerie Folklore
Genre: Abusive Parents, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Fresh out of the oven, Kinda, No second draft, The Author Regrets Nothing, just talked about, no betas, nothing too graphic, these tags are a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16403162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirTheOne/pseuds/MirTheOne
Summary: The little girl knew about the faeries. She had been told everything about them since she was young. The girl knew someone who was taken by a fae. Still, she didn't expect to ever meet one. Much less made friends.





	A Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something not Town of Salem so here it is!

A little girl ran to the woods. She wanted a few moments of happiness for herself. Just a little, before her mother returned. Before the screaming started. Before the punches laid on her tiny body. The villagers had warned her for a long time, as did they warn every child in the village. 

_Be careful of the fae,_ they said. _Be careful, or he might take you too._

She wasn’t stupid. She knew the villagers, as much as they loved it, was not lying. She remembered when a young boy disappeared. Elyan, the rowdy boy who loved breaking rules, ran to the woods one time. He never returned. They said he ate the fae’s food. They said the fae took him for payment.

She kept running though before stopping. She saw a field of flowers and gasped in joy. Oh, how beautiful! Her mother would never let her keep such beautiful flowers. It’s not like there were any flowers that pretty in the village. She walked up to the field when a voice called out to her.

“Hello there, little lady!”

The girl jumped in surprise. She turned to face the voice and found a young man standing there. It’s strange, though. No one ever went to these woods. No one other than young children who didn’t know better. The man baffled the girl until she saw around his feet. Little, little mushrooms grown in the shape of a circle.

Or a fae ring, as the villagers told her.

The man smiled brightly at her before asking, “May I have your name, little lady?”

He made a beckoning motion with his hand as he said it. The girl was tempted to tell him, then she remembered. Her father, before he died, had told her to never give your name to a fae. They worked with rules unknown to humans. Giving him her name would be giving him more than a name. She would be giving him her life. 

So she told him, “You may call me Enid.”

The fae’s smile grew cold. “I don’t like liars, little lady.”

“I’m not lying, mister,” she insisted. “You may call me Enid.”

For a second she grew afraid. Afraid that she angered the fae. Afraid that he would take it out on her. On the village. Her father told her that faes were mischievous spirits. They’re not one to be angered, unless you’re ready to face the consequences.

When she was about to utter an apology, the fae’s smile warmed once more.

“I suppose that I may call you that, little Enid. Then you may call me Delwyn.”

The girl blinked. She wasn’t expecting that. The fae sat down in his ring and pat the spot next to him in it. Her father told her not to go into a fae ring, so she didn’t.

“I’m sorry, mister, but that spot seemed awfully tight. May I sit in front of you instead?”

The fae raised an eyebrow but nodded. The girl sat in front of him, outside of the ring. Delwyn pulled out a small pocket and poured some berries out of it. He offered it to her.

“Would you like some, little Enid?”

The girl shook her head. Elyan had been lost when he ate the fae’s food. She would not fall into the same pit.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not hungry.”

It’s not a lie. The berries seemed tempting alright. It appeared to be sweet and delicious, just the way she liked it. But she’s not hungry. Despite everything, she’s rarely starved. Only when her mother was on her worst mood. Now she wondered if the flowers in that field was his. Faes didn’t like it if someone messed with their stuff. If she asked for permission, she might owe him something...

So they sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Delwyn didn’t seem to be trying to start a conversation, so the girl stayed silent too. They continued like this until Delwyn broke the silence.

“You really suit your name, little Enid.” He chuckled. “I rarely met a child as quiet as you are.”

The girl bit down on her lip. Being quiet was something she learned in her house. Be quiet, be silent. Stay out of sight. Do not attract attention, and you will be fine. She learned those things to stay safe. It didn’t work like a charm, but enough.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s nothing to be sorry for,” Delwyn assured. “I was just... curious.”

They sat in silence once more. Every once in a while Delwyn would make a comment about the nature around them, and the girl would respond. It wasn’t until the sun was getting pretty low that she told the fae that she had to leave.

“I must go,” she said. “Or my mother will be mad.”

Delwyn let her go, and so she left him and his fae ring. She returned home and climbed through the window. Just as she closed her window, she heard her mother slammed the front door behind her and screamed out her name. The girl hurried down the stairs, her encounter with the fae pushed aside.

**********

The little girl told herself that she would never meet Delwyn again, but she was wrong. Merely a month later, she ran away to the woods once again. She ran to find a spot of happiness for herself, this time with a bag of cookies. She stumbled into Delwyn, who asked for her name once more.

“You can still call me Enid, mister. Would you like some cookies?”

“I suppose so, little Enid.”

It turned into a routine. Once a month the girl would go to the flower field with a bag of cookies. Once a month Delwyn would be there, waiting. Once a month they would be sharing the cookies until the sun went low, when the girl would return home.

As time went, the girl started calling him Delwyn, as opposed to “mister”. She still suspected that it’s not his real name though. He insisted on “Little Enid”, saying that the nickname was hard to let go. It wasn’t until 2 years later though, that the fae found out about the conditions in the girl’s house.

“May I bother you with a question, little Enid? Just this once?”

The girl hesitated. Was there anything against letting a fae ask you something? She didn’t think so. So she said yes.

Delwyn cleared his throat – does he even need to? “You see, little Enid, I found some of your behaviors... disturbing. No, not like that-” he added when he saw the look on the girl’s face- “Your silence... Your irrational fear on harmless things... I’ve known humans for a long time. I know when something is wrong.”

Something in his eyes felt warm and calming. It assured her that he was trustworthy. So she told him everything. Her father’s stories, his death, his mother being more and more aggressive... Her life story spilled out of her mouth, names omitted, of course. She told him how lonely she felt because no one wanted to play with her. Especially after she started coming to the woods. 

_She had been taken_ , she heard some people said. Some people proposed that she was replaced with a changeling. As rumors brewed, her mother stayed silent. If anything, she once accused her of actually being a changeling.

_Maybe you are a changeling. That’s why you’re making my life so miserable. Maybe... Maybe I should put you in the fireplace._

As she kept talking, the fae listened with intent. He rarely cared for humans he took, but this one... This intelligent kid who kept herself from being deceived for so long... He hadn’t seen any like her for sometime. She didn’t use her mind for malice too. The last time, a boy called Ainsel managed to fatally wound him. He found his real name when he died of old age. 

Aneirin. _Noble._ The fae didn’t think he was noble at all.

This girl called Enid only wanted a friend. And a friend he would be. Being in the woods alone tend to be lonely after all. Listening to her story stirred something in him. An anger. The way her mother treated the girl angered him. It was unfair. As far as he could tell, the girl never did anything wrong.

So he asked her, politely. “Can I have your mother’s name?”

The girl froze. She was not expecting that. She weighed her options. Something happening to her mother... With all the rumors thrown around... Her life would be harder after it. She would rather not to.

“You can call her Ffion,” she replied.

“You don’t have to protect her, little-”

“She’s my mother, Delwyn. My family.”

Mother. Family. What a strange concept humans had! They would rather be hurt than separate themselves from the people that hurt them. But... The fae guessed that such idiocy was what attracted him to humans.

“I want you to know that... If you would like to spread your wings and be free... I would gladly support you, little Enid.”

“Always?” The girl asked, unbelieving.

The fae smiled and nodded. “Always.”

**********

“Why did you took all those people, Delwyn?”

The girl was fifteen, and the friendship between her and the fae was strong as ever. But a question still lingered in her mind. For 3 years, she stayed silent about it. But she couldn’t anymore. The fae she knew didn’t feel like someone who would kidnap a boy for eating his berries. 

“There are rules, little Enid, and they broke it.”

“But don’t you think the rules are... stupid? Why would you took someone for telling you their name? That’s just being polite,” the girl responded.

“Does that we’re not polite to each other? We still don’t know each other’s name. Only what we can call each other.”

“You...” The girl hesitated. “You’re not wrong.”

“You don’t have to be afraid, little Enid. I would never take you away. Not without your consent.”

“Promise?” The girl asked.

“Promise.”

**********

Time went on. 2 years later, the girl met someone who would have a special place in her heart for the rest of her existence. A girl of her age named Glynn. She didn’t whisper that the girl was a changeling. She didn’t call her a witch. Glynn talked to her when nobody else would. And with Glynn by her side, the girl’s visits to the fae’s grew rarer.

One day, she arrived to a rather annoyed-looking fae. The girl grew afraid and gave him a nervous greeting. However, it soon became clear that he wasn’t mad at her.

“I was so worried, little Enid! You haven’t visited for two months now. I thought... I thought something bad happened to you.”

The girl pulled her lips to a small smile. “I made a friend, Delwyn. That’s all.”

The fae raised an eyebrow. “A friend? Can you give me her name?”

The girl sighed. This again. “No, Delwyn. You can call her Rhian though.”

Sometimes the fae couldn’t tell if that intelligence was a likable thing or not. On instances like today, her quick thinking was an annoyance. Still, it made him wonder if she prepared a nickname for everyone in her life. In case she told him about them.

The two talked for the day. The girl made a joke about the fae being jealous and laughed. If any other human made this joke, he would be furious. But for his little friend... A little forgiveness wouldn’t hurt. It’s not that she’s completely wrong anyway... She shared him some sweets she brought him.

“This is called turkish delight. Rhian’s brother bought her these and she shared some with me.”

“Is ‘turkish delight’ its real name, little Enid?”

The two laughed once more. Onlookers would thought that they were just two friends, taking a stroll in the woods. They would be oblivious to the true nature of one of them, and the circumstances that lead to the friendship. For once, the fae was happy. He was worried, of course, that his little friend would drift away. But the last 5 years had been a lot of fun... The girl would not leave him after all that, right?

Oh, he was wrong. Very, _very,_ wrong.

**********

The girl’s visits became rarer and rarer as her mother started locking her in her house. She planned a marriage for the girl, a marriage that would benefit the mother. She would have her marry a wealthy person from far away. That way, she would never have to see her changeling daughter again. She would also be able to enjoy immense wealth as a bonus! It was the perfect plan.

On occasions when the girl managed to slip out, she either went to the woods, or to her friend Glynn. She told her two friends everything, and they responded differently. The fae asked her to give him her mother’s name, yet she was unable to compel herself to do so. Glynn, on the other hand, made a plan. Glynn was also tired of being forced to marry. They planned to leave together, just weeks before the girl’s wedding.

On the day she’s going to leave, the girl visited the fae for one last time.

“Little Enid!” The fae yelled out upon sighting her. “I was so worried! You hadn’t been here for so long- oh... I thought they took you ahead of schedule...”

“Hello, Delwyn.” The girl greeted. The fae noticed the hint of sorrow in her voice.

“Little Enid...? Is something wrong?” 

The girl took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she’s about to say. “I’m leaving tonight.”

The fae froze. Time seemed to have stopped and sun seemed to be a little dimmer. He took several moments to process it.

“Give- Give me your fiance’s name, little Enid.”

Even so, she shook her head. “It’s not him, Delwyn. I’m leaving with Rhian. We’re going to travel the world together. We- I would be free. Free from my mother.”

The fae’s shock turned into fury. How could she, after all these years? She was her friend. The first one in ages. No one wanted to step in the ‘cursed woods’ and he doubted anyone else would want to. At least for the next hundred years.

“You don’t have my permission, little Enid. I would not let you-”

“You told me you would support me when I spread my wings and be free!”

“I will take you for disrespecting a fae!”

“You promised, Delwyn,” the girl whispered. “You promised.”

_Always._

The fae took several step back to his ring and fell to the ground. The girl used his words against him. Words that he said years ago, when she was much smaller. Just like Aneirin, his little friend had become another Ainsel. 

Still, he could not let her go.

“Would you like to have my name?” he whispered. His voice was hoarse and his eyes threatened to spill tears. 

When the girl stayed silent, he continued, “My name is Llywelyn. Nice to meet you. Can I have your name? Please?”

The girl gritted her teeth as a single tear slid down her cheek. The fae was desperate, she can tell. This was his last chance. 

“You can still call me Enid, mister.”

Llywelyn sighed and wiped his tears. He stood up and walked towards the flower field. The field she never touched since she first came here. He took several small flowers and twisted them together. He then handed the result to the girl. A small flower bracelet.

“A little parting gift for you, my little friend. You owe me nothing.” 

The girl stared at the bracelet as Llywelyn backed into his ring once more. She put on the bracelet.

“I appreciate this, Llywelyn.”

The fae laughed. A bitter laugh. “Vigilant til the end, huh?”

The girl didn’t answer. Instead, she wiped her tears and prepare to leave.

“Goodbye, Llywelyn.”

She repeated his name many times in her mind. Llywelyn, Llywelyn, Llywelyn. Over and over, as if afraid that she’ll forget her friend. Not waiting for the fae to reply, the girl started walking out of the woods.

“Goodbye, little lady,” a voice called out from behind her.

_Hello there, little lady!_

The day they first met felt like yesterday, yet so long ago at the same time. The girl kept walking, and walking, and walking. She never felt so alone before.

-

-

-

At midnight, she slipped out of her house carrying a bag filled with her belongings. Glynn was waiting with supplies, enough for two weeks on the road. The two girls hugged and prepared their load. As Glynn mounted her horse, the girl turned towards the woods one last time. The fae’s face flashing in her mind.

“Anwyn?” Glynn called out. “We have to go. Before someone caught us.”

The girl twirled her flower bracelet. It appeared to be unwilting, unyielding. The fae must’ve imbued it with something to make it last longer. She sighed and mounted her horse.  
“Let’s go,” Anywn firmly said, a sense of finality in her words. 

This was goodbye. Goodbye to her house, her mother, her village. Goodbye to the woods she spent so much time in. Goodbye to the kind fae who she had made friends with.

Anwyn and Glynn rode out into the night, leaving their old life behind. Once and for all.

**********

Llywelyn watches as the two girls ride out of his sight. His eyes turns downcast, and he starts talking.

“So, this is it? This is where it ends? You- You placed me here- You made me!” 

The last part comes out as a roar. An explosion of anger and sorrow all at once. The fae breath quickens. He tries to control his emotions, but it’s all useless.

“You gave me life. You gave me emotions and feelings and for what?”

The fae laughs. A bitter laugh tainted by a bit of madness. He almost doubles over, putting his weight on his knees.

“You gave me a friend. You gave me the first friend I had in forever. My whole existence, even! And then- and then- and then... You took her away. You took her. She left me just like that! I know her name now. I know her name. It’s a nice name, it’s- it’s-”

The fae turns cold, devoid of emotions. He straightens his posture.

“It’s quite fitting,” he whispers. “But it’s useless now. I can’t do anything with her name. Not without you dictating it. Not now, when it’s all ending.”

Llywelyn turns to you. His lips trembles as he searches for words to say. Something to express what he wants. Words to compose an independent sentence.

But he can’t, so he follows the script.

“No need to worry, silent observer,” he mutters to you. “I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the person who put me in this narrative. The one who forced life onto me.”

He averts his gaze and focuses it onto something unseen. To you, at least. 

“I’m talking to **you** , dear wordsmith.”


End file.
